Tainted Innocence
by KA-336
Summary: England was already a dog-eat-dog world before Allen's kidnapped and sold to an organization. Cursed by God for a fate worse then death, he finds out that there was more to this world than what meets the eye. Demons, Noah, Exorcists, Reapers. Allen will have to find the strength to walk as he tries to find answer to the events he had to endure. With some help from Ciel Phantomhive.
1. Prologue (vers 2)

†† **Prologue** ††

"Look out the window."

Allen sat in the carriage with his arms crossed stubbornly at his chest. A feat that was harder than it should be since his left arm was paralysed. Normally, he would have felt some small sense of accomplishment. Instead, he was irate because _Mana_ had dragged him out of the dingy inn they were staying at, using their _hard earnings_ on a carriage of all things, so that Allen could spend time, and he's quoting his adoptive father, "With children who look twice more happier than you". Did he think that Allen actually _enjoys_ dressing up like a clown every other day?

"I don't wanna," Allen grumbled, stubbornly turning his head away from the man.

However, he wasn't going to admit that he was... Well, not _happy._ He wouldn't admit that. _Content_ would the better word. He had a bed, warm food, somebody nice. That's better than what that accursed circus had to offer.

Mana merely chuckled at his antics, making the ginger-headed boy scowl. Nothing seemed to faze that man. Allen can't even tell what he's thinking half the time. Or, most of the time really. He won't deny that the person whose caring for him certainly has a few screws loose. The boy was tempted to pinch Mana's face to vent some of his frustration. Instead, he bit the inside of his cheek and glared at the closed curtains that shielded the cloudy sky.

In hindsight, maybe he should have open those curtains.

 _Crash!_

The carriage Mana and Allen were in jolted heavily towards the side. They could feel it teeter on two wheels before the carriage turned over. Pain lit up the side of Allen's skull when his head met the wall. He blinked his eyes furiously as his vision blurred. He then forced himself into sitting position, his fingers rising to where his head ached to press on it gently. The pain rose sharply, enforcing a hiss to escape his lips as he jerked his hand away and looked at his fingertips. Blood.

There wouldn't be a need for stitches, he had concluded. But... head wounds do tend to bleed a lot.

"Allen," he could hear Mana murmur. The boy quickly looked over at his guardian to find him also lying against the wall.

"M-Mana!" The boy moved closer towards him. "Are you alright!?"

"Fit as a fiddle," the man responded, getting into sitting position. And it was true. Allen wasn't sure how but that man didn't have a hair out of place. He picked up his top hat and placed it back on his head before looking over at the redhead. Then he stiffened. His hand reached outwards towards the boy. "Allen, your head..."

"I'm _fine,_ " he snapped, shoving the hand away. "Let's just get the hell outta here already."

Mana stared at him for a moment, his eyes clouding with worry and concern before he rose up. "Very well. Let me get you out first."

The boy held no arguments as the man forced the door to the carriage open. He then turned to Allen and picked him up. He _hated_ on how it made him feel so little, so _weak._ But he would hold his tongue. Now wasn't the time to complain no matter _how_ much he wanted.

Even with Mana lifting him up to the open area, Allen had to use his own arms to forced himself out. Again, it was easier said than done. His horrible, disgusting red _limb_ beneath the mitten was utterly useless. He was left cursing bitterly at his luck before he finally got up and looked around.

The dust seemed to settle around the carriage even though one of the wheels continued to spin. Down the beaten path, the back end of the horse that had been pulling them could barely be seen as it raced away. It was only him, Mana, and a destroyed carriage out in the countryside with nothing but wild animals and a few sparse trees to accompany them.

Allen hopped off the carriage, bending his knees slightly upon landing so as to not hurt himself. Taking several steps away, he looked around and realized one thing.

 _Odd. Where the bloody hell is our driver?_

There was a polite old man who had greeted them. He was no longer _anywhere_ to be seen. Strange. How could he just... _disappear?_

"Oh my, what on Earth happened here?"

A tick mark appeared on Allen's head as he looked over to see Mana standing casually on top of the carriage, his irises scanning the destruction. How the hell was that bastard always so _calm?_

"Oi!" Allen scowled at his guardian. "Get down there already, will ya- _mmph!_ "

Someone had come up behind him and pressed a cloth hard against his face, forcing him to be pinned by a larger body. A sickly-sweet smell pervaded Allen's nostils as he struggled against the unknown assailant. Mana, upon hearing the commotion, turned over towards his son with his eyes wide. "Allen!"

 _Bang!_

Allen watched, _horrified,_ as Mana jolted only a split second after a gun had fired, his top hat being blown off. And there, in the center of his head, was a circle. There was a pregnant silence as crimson blood leaked from the wound. Then the man fell off the side of the carriage. Like a puppet whose strings were cut.

 _"Mana!"_ the boy had tried to scream. Instead, it became muffled grunts as he continued to struggle against the arms that wrapped around him. He found that his eyelids didn't want him to stay awake. This was chloroform, wasn't it? Allen had an unpleasant experiance with it once before.

 _Just stay awake. Stay awake. Stay the_ hell _awake!_

"Why isn't that brat _out_ yet," a male voice hissed.

"I don't fucking _know,_ " retorted the other.

"Knock his ass out then!"

Allen felt something hard hit the back of his head before he slipped into darkness.

†† **†††** ††

 _I can't see,_ was Allen's first thought when he finally grasped at the tedious strands of consciousness. His silver-gray eyes had blinked slowly in the darkness. His body was heavy to himself. He felt empty like something... Something important had been taken away.

 _Mana,_ his mind realized for him. He could faintly recall the man falling off the overturned carriage.

No, that can't be right. Surely that was a mistake. This was _Mana_ after all. This could be one of his games. He was just rendered unconscious and... What was it he was in? Is this the storiage area of the carriage? What the hell!? Mana would never leave him in such a space! He would at least _blind_ Allen with some cloth or such. That is, if he was able to think of such an elaborate game like this himself. He was too childish for that. Which means...

Allen squeezed his eyes shut when he felt them sting.

Mana was... Mana _had_ to be...

No, he couldn't even _think_ it. Even if he saw it only...

Wait.

How long...? How long has he _been_ in here?

 _I'm bound,_ the boy thought, narrowing his eyes when he tried to move. His arms were placed behind his back and it felt like... rope had been used.

His legs, thankfully, had been left free of such bondage. Whoever these kidnappers are, they aren't too smart. Good. That means that Allen could give them some hell. He didn't earn the title _Demon Child_ on the streets just for his arm's hideous appearance.

Minutes seemed to crawl by at an agonizingly slow pace as the sound of hooves could be heard moving on cobblestone. They must've returned to London. Or...wherever depending on how long Allen has been unconscious. It took longer still until the carriage he was in finally came to a complete stop.

"Think he's still unconscious?" a muffled voice had asked as the carriage swayed. Allen recognized it as the one that belonged to the man who shot...

"He better be," responded the male that had held him with chloroform. "I gave him one hell of a hit."

That he did. The back of the redhead's skull still throbbed. Allen rolled onto his back, placing his feet where he thought the exit would be.

"Dang. Did you check to see if he was still breathing?"

"Of course I did! We've been doing this for how long already!?"

"And yet you _still_ managed to kill four kids in a month. _By accident._ "

"It isn't my fault that they're too soft," the man grumbled.

They were right outside now. Allen could hear them moving. Then the trunk opened, the sudden sparse of light hurting his eyes after spending _ages_ of time in the dark.

That's when he lashed out with his foot.

A sharp cry had been released as his shoe connected with one of his kidnapper's face. He could feel the contact, hear a decently loud crunch and desperately wished that he wasn't momentarily blind so he could revel in the pain of his assailant.

As his eyesight began to clear, Allen kept kicking. There was no way in Hell that he was going to just _let_ these jerks do whatever to him. He'll turn that sad, empty feeling in his heart into rage and burn everything alongside him if he must.

"Let go of me, you _bastard,_ " Allen hissed, kicking angrily at the hand that managed to ensnare his ankle. Then he was yanked forcibly from the trunk. The boy barely had a chance to blink before his vision turned white as his head slammed into the ground. Then, as if to throw salt in the wound, he was picked up by his ginger locks and forced to stare at the face of one of his kidnappers.

"Be good and you won't be hurt," he sneered.

Allen promptly spit in his face.

The man stiffened, wiping the saliva fron his eyes before looking from it to the child. Then his pulled his arm back with his hand enclosing into a fist. Allen's silver eyes stared at him defiantly, as if _daring_ the man to hit him.

"Rowan!"

A third, unknown voice broke across them. The trio turned to the source, the men suddenly flinching when they found out who it belonged to. It was a man finely dressed in an expensive-looking suit. Of course a rich guy would be involved in Allen's kidnapping.

"Don't hurt the merchandise." The man's hard eyes scanned the boy. "He's injured enough as is."

The man in front of him, Rowan, released his posture and stepped back. The rich man moved into his space and gripped Allen's face. _Hard._ The man turned it one way and then another, his expression turning calculating.

"He's a kid who grew up on the streets," the man concluded. "He's better looking than most of the rats we pick up. I bet this brat could pass for a noble if we cleaned him up and schooled him on etiquette." He sneered at the boy. "But you won't be a good kid and listen to the adults, would you?" He lift his gaze up to the man holding him by his locks. "Did you examine him?"

"Of course," he had stated. "And we found something most surprising."

"Did you now?"

"Yes. Come take a look at his left hand."

Allen stiffened. They _saw_ his hand? The thing that had given him so much hell over the years?

The noble man circled aroud Allen. The boy bristled and tried to turn away but to no avail. His hair was still in that man's grip and it hurt so much for him to so much as twist. A small gasp could be heard behind him. Then the man reappeared in his peripheral vision with a dark smirk present on his lips.

"We seem to have caught a priceless treasure," the man sneered. "I wonder how much the Order will pay for a brat like you."

"Screw you, you bloody fuck face," Allen snarled. Even if it hurt, he thrashed in his captor's grip.

"He has a bit of fire, doesn't he," the man chuckled. He bloody _chuckled._ Oh, Allen's blood boiled. "Good, he'll last longer then. Where's the tag at?"

The man that had the gun went and handed the noble something small. A piece of paper it seems, and an ink pen. The man wrote on it before nodding towards Allen. "Pin the brat down. We wouldn't want to tear his ear off, would we?"

Both of his lackeys snorted as Allen was pinned onto the dirty ground. He tried to squirm and buck but there was no point. Both men were too big, too powerful.

It really pissed him off.

Pain spiked in his ear. A sharp, quick pain that left it throbbing slightly. The tag, the price saying _£7800.85*,_ had been pierced into his ear.

"Go put him with the others," the noble commanded. "And be a little more _gentle._ The Order won't pay as much if the child breaks."

Allen was lifted off the ground, where he cursed and scream and fought as they dragged him past the noble and behind a set of door.

He paused, if momentarily, to take in the new sight as they moved throughout the new room. There were barred cages spread hapazardly about, the metal barely shining in the candlelight. And every single one of these cages housed at least two children. Each one with a hopeless, dead look in their eyes. Each one broken.

Allen renewed his fighting spirit with more ferocity.

"Stop squirming," one of the men hissed with annoyance, both of them reaching an empty cage. He pulled that open while the other one shoved him in. With difficulty. "Damn, this kid is a demon."

Normally the nickname would sting him just the tiniest of bit. Right now however, he rather enjoyed it. If these idiots wanted to consider themselves human.

A faint snapping noise could be heard as Allen was finally thrown in. Pain laced his wrist but he paid it no mind, turning to the door of the cage. It slammed shut as he rammed his shoulder into it.

"Let me outta here, ya stupid brutes," he yelled, making the two men step back in surprise. Normally they weren't scared of children but the fire Allen had in his silver-gray eyes further amplified his look of hatred. He looked like a demon indeed. "Let me out!"

"Let's go," one finally said to the other, the men immediately heading towards the nearest exit.

"Where the hell are you two going! Get me the fuck outta here! Hey, I'm talking to you! Hey!"

The only response he got back was the sound of a slamming door. Sighing, Allen relaxed and slumped against the cage. As the pain he forced away returned, he held his wrist up to examine it.

For a moment, he thought the snap he had heard meant that something was broken. Nope, that was just his bindings that had come off. A strong thing of rope that dug into his skin before it finally had enough. The markings left behind on his right wrist was red and angry, some parts of it bleeding.

"...Brother..." he heard a soft, scared voice say off to his right. Allen tensed before glaring in that direction.

Two boys sat in the cage beside him. Both had bluish-black hair, pale skin, and rich, deep blue eyes. Twins. Not just any twins either. Their attire, albeit ruffled, was something a child of nobility would wear. And Allen knew, as he would normally scorn at them. As it was now, he simply didn't have the energy. In fact, the day itself was taking it's toll on him. His kidnapping... Mana's... Mana's...

No, he couldn't think it even if he tried. He didn't _want_ to. So Allen swallowed the hard rock that settled in his throat and closed his eyes when they began to sting.

"Excuse me?"

Snapping his eyes open, Allen went to glare at whoever spoken. He didn't find it surprising in the least to see that it was one of the twins. The one with his bangs parted to the left ducked behind his brother. So he was the shy one of the two.

"Whaddya want," Allen grumbled, not particularly caring for company right now. He wasn't in the mood. Then again, he never really was.

"Does it hurt to want to have a conversation," the boy asked.

"Bug someone else."

"Yeah but they're all..." The boy trailed off. Not that he had to complete the sentence. Allen understood fairly well. The other kids were too broken. Too far gone. Any conversation would be meaningless. "My name is Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive."

Of course. With a silly surname like that, he had to be a noble. And the child even shoved his right hand through the bars as if asking for a handshake. Allen stared at it, weighing the pros and cons of even speaking to him.

Pros: Less boredom.

Cons: They'll keep talking to him.

Well, they'll keep talking anyways, he was sure. And while Allen _was_ going to work on escaping (like hell he was going to give up) but extreme boredom would be a factor. It didn't mean that he was going to shake the noble's _hand._

But should he continue to keep the name Allen or...

No, he probably shouldn't. Allen was the name Mana had given him and thinking of Mana... Well, it hurt. It really did. Gah, he didn't mean to get that close to the man. Just to take care of him. To make up for what he did at the circus.

So he discarded the name that held a positive, if painful meaning and looked up at the boy's eyes. The hard, silver-gray met with the deep, gorgeous blue.

"My name is Red. Just Red."

†† **†††** ††

 _*_ _£7800.85_ _is equivalent to $9954.70_

†† **†††** ††

 ** _I have decided to rewrited Tainted Innocence since I had felt that this story could be better and was not satisfied with how I had currently written it. As such, I will be fixing it. ^_^ Please review and tell me if this better than what I originally had._**


	2. Chapter I (vers 2)

†† **Chapter I** ††

The night sky outside the window was turning a light gray. In return, the inside of the large manor was growing lighter as well.

A figure laid in a bed on the second floor. It could be seen tossing and turning, the sheets of the blanket moving. A boy in his mid-teens laid on the bed. His hair despite his age, was a snowy white. His skin, normally pale, looked even paler as sweat beaded on his forehead. The scar on his face was a bright, angry red. Although despite the vividness of the color, the way it was healed over insisted that it was at least a few years old. And his eyes, although closed, was squeezed tightly shut as his breathing escaped him in labored intervals.

 _"Would you like for me to revive Mana Walker?"_

"N-no," the boy muttered in his sleep as he twisted on the mattress.

 _"All you have to do is call out his name."_

"Don't..." His voice sounded small. Helpless.

 _"Yes, that's it... Just call his name and you're dear old daddy will come to you."_

"...please..." His hands gripped the sheets.

 _"A... All...en..."_

"Mana!"

The teenager bolted upright in his bed. His silver-gray eyes bounced around the rooms, searching the dark interior that normal people would have a difficulty seeing in. His left arm had activated, the red skin transforming into a gray, metal claw with a large green cross on the back and green-looking flames where his shoulder was. He was looking for it; the dark shadow that plagued his dream. His memory. Finding nothing in the room with him, the boy sighed in relief and had his arm deactivate. Then he leaned back on his bed with his right hand resting over the top half of his face and hiding a majority of his expression from view.

Adrenaline still coursed through his veins and his heart drummed in his chest.

"Stupid dream," he murmured aloud.

Time crept by and the boy never drifted off back to sleep. He just sat there with his face covered, trying to push the fragments away. It was only when knocking sounded on his bedroom door that he got up.

"Give me a minute," he told the persistent knocking and began to change from his night clothes into something more fitting. As such, it was a white long-sleeve, slacks, boots, and white gloves. Upon tying a small ribbon tie around the collar of his shirt, the teenager moved towards the door and pulled it open.

"Alleeeeen~!"

He braced himself as a body slammed into him, the small, petite form of a girl with punk-styled bluish-black hair donning a her gothic Victorian* outfit. Using her momentum, Allen spun around so the two of them wouldn't fall.

"R-Road," he had cried out. When he managed to steady them, he put the girl down. Her dark blue eyes stared up at him as a smirk was present on her face. He smiled back at her. "Good morning."

Her smirk vanished as she stared at him for a moment. Then she leaned forward on her tiptoes to get a closer look. Allen sweated and took a step back.

"You didn't sleep well last night either, did you," she asked.

"Well..." Allen scratched the side of his cheek. "Maybe not..."

"I don't know why I can't access you're dreams." The girl frowned. "If I could, I could give you better ones."

"I'm fine, Road. Really." He tried waving her off. "Is Sheryl up?"

"Sheryl?" The girl seemed to brighten somewhat at the change of subject. "No~. Millennie sent him to some little village in order to try creating another company there. The human in charge is just a little too stubborn."

"And Tricia is still in bed?"

"Yep~. So right now, it's just Wisely, Millennie, the servants, and us who are here and awake."

"I see..."

A very small silence lapsed between them before Road latched onto his arm. "Come on, let's go get some sweets~."

Allen chuckled lightly at her as he allowed her to lead him down the halls. Not that he had much of a choice. As soon as Road had clung onto him, her vice-like grip had already informed him that she had no intention of letting go of him. And he had learned quite easily that it was better to go along with her than to fight it.

After making their way past the confusing labyrinth of halls, they made their way down the stairs and to the kitchen. Road then let Allen go in favor of rifling through the cabinets. He watched her with a small smile gracing his features, his silver-gray softening behind the guard that he normally throws up.

"Get some food if you're hungry," Road commented, barely glancing at him as she couldn't find the sweets she was looking for. Then she faked a grimace. "Before the Head Chef comes back."

The Head Chef was a very stern and set-in-his ways kind of man. He also did not like the two of them (as they were usually the culprits) taking food from the kitchen when it wasn't required for them to eat yet. Remembering the scoldings he had earned a few times, Allen's frown was present as he laid his eyes on the counter. A large leg of ham was sitting innocently on it, some of it already chopped up on the cutting board with some salad supplies lingering on the side. He presumed that that was to be their breakfast today. It looked good so far and, well, _healthy._ As much as noble food tended to seem. But that leg of ham just looked _so good._ Allen's stomach rumbled in agreement.

That was all the prompting he needed before he took it.

Road snickered as she noticed what he had grabbed before her cobalt gaze finally landed on a jar of cookies shoved in the corner. Her face lit up with delight as she skipped her way over and plucked a note off the top of the jar that had been precariously balanced. She flicked it open and, once she scanned the contents, snorted, and set it aside. The snowy-haired teenager wandered over to glance at it. The handwriting was elegant and fancy.

 _'Road, try not to eat these before breakfast,'_ it read. _-Adam.'_

"-ster Campbell would be quite delighted with the meal I have planned," a male voice had spoken up. Road and Allen froze as they glanced at each other with wide eyes. That was the Head Chef. "It, too, benefits Mistress Kamelot's health."

 _"Hide,"_ Road hissed, grabbing a few cookies. She slid the lid of the jar back on as both she and Allen (who still had the leg of ham in his hand) ducked behind the counter that stood in the center of the room.

"I'm sure," came another male voice as the door opened and a couple of people could be heard entering the kitchen. Their Head Butler. Allen felt his eyebrow twitch. He really needed to get a handle on their names. "I have no doubt in your abilities. Lord Walker however is a bit more challenging. I fear you would need to make a lot more in order to satisfy his appetite."

Road shot Allen an amused smirk. The latter blushed lightly as he gave her an awkward smile. It's not like he could _control_ his stomach after all.

The sounds of shoes clicking on tile told the two to get moving. Allen and Road both crawled the opposite way. Road's foot disappeared around the corner of the cabinet just in time when the Head Chef came walking around it. Unfortunately, that also placed the two in the butler's line of sight.

The butler's lips twitched, forming a smile momentarily before he grabbed the Head Chef's attention. "Fredrick, would you mind helping me set the table?"

There was a moments pause as Allen filtered the name away for later use.

"Not at all, Oscar," was the eventual response. "Though let us not take too long. Lady Kamelot and Lord Walker like to ransack the place when I'm not around."

Both the mentioned people stifled their laughter as Oscar actually let a small, amused smile. "Yes, they're quite the troublemakers, aren't they?"

"That they are." Allen heard a smile in Fredrick's voice.

"Yes well, let us be going then. I must inform Lord Walker that Earl Campbell is requesting his audience."

Allen felt himself blink. The Earl wanted to speak to him? Curiously, he glanced at Road. She shrugged.

They had to move around the counter again to prevent Fredrick from noticing them as the two servants left the kitchen. Then Allen stood up to make sure they went, taking a bite out of the ham.

"Let's go," Road laughed, heading to another door that was different from where the servants had gone. The teenager was right behind her and they soon made it to the safety of the halls.

"I probably shouldn't keep the Earl waiting," Allen finally said.

"In that case, I'm going to go annoy Wisely." A smirk spread across Road's face.

Before Allen could say another word, she was already heading down the hallway with a skip in her steps. Allen chuckled quietly to himself. One of the oldest in the family or not, Road definitely knew how to act the most childish.

Left to his own devices, Allen absent-mindedly took a bite out of the ham as he contiued to walk through the halls. Once upon a time, he would have been dangerously lost if he stayed by himself. Now, months after his arrival, he could transverse these halls with ease...

Most of the time.

"Earl?" Allen knocked politely on the closed door. A creepy painting on the side of it was the only confirmation the teenager needed to know that this was the right place.

"Come in," came the Earl's voice. After pausing for but a moment, Allen pushed the door open and entered the room.

Bookcases line the walls with a couple of chairs present in the corner of the room. A desk sat near the window, a globe set on it as well as a few stacks of paper. And there, sitting at the desk, was the Earl, also known at times as Adam, himself. A rotund figure with little, round spectacles, a large grin, wearing one of his custom-made hat's.

"Good morning, Allen. I see that you stole from the kitchen yet again," Adam had informed. His gaze had landed on the food. "At the behest of Road, I presume?"

"Whatever are you talking about," the teen had asked innocently, stepping closer to the desk. The Earl merely chuckled. "So what are you doing?"

"I'm currently planning a family visit," he had informed. The smile on his lips grew when he saw the color on Allen's face fade somewhat. "What? Do you not like them?"

"N-no, I do." The teen nervously chuckled. "It's just that...well, we had that last week and while I do like the Family... they're a bit energetic when grouped together." _Especially Sheryl_.

"That's true. But I do love it when my Family is all under one roof."

"...The Noah Company* can't exactly benefit though when their bosses all head to England three times a month, can it?"

The Earl looked thoughtful for a moment before sighing. "I suppose you have a point. Two times a month then."

Allen didn't say anything else. Family meant a lot to the Earl.

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about though." Adam had suddenly grew serious, weaving his fingers together as he rested his hands on the desk. "There's a ball taken place tonight being thrown by Viscount Aleistor Chamber. From what one of my... informers have told me, there's Innocence there."

"Innocence?" The teen tilted his head slightly, finding the term to be familiar but he could not recall from where.

"Like your hand." He nodded over to it. Allen felt it twitch. "Innocence is something the humans have taken to call 'God's Crystal' or the 'Crystal of God'. Many pieces have been dispersed throughout the world after the Three Days of Darkness."

"I'm sorry, Earl but I don't see how that's relevant."

"Because we're not the only ones after it. While we seek Innocence to destroy it, there's another faction who searches to use it as a weapon. The Black Order, if you recall." Allen couldn't help narrowing his eyes, biting back a hiss as his hands unknowingly curled into fists. "Only a few can use Innocence and those who can are known as Exorcists. It's one of the few things that can actually kill a Noah*."

"So tonight there might be Exorcists at the ball?"

"Possibly," the Earl agreed. "The good news is that they don't know too much about the Noah Family so we'll use that to our advantage. Wisely will be there to watch over you and Road for your first assignment."

"Road is coming too," Allen inquired as he relaxed a bit.

"Of course. I can't leave you by yourself now that you know the Black Order is involved. Subtlety is a must. She's the only one you can partner with without anyone giving you odd looks."

"I see... Alright. I suppose I better inform Road then."

"Please do so."

Nodding, Allen turned on his heel, shutting the door as he left the room. He then paused in his steps and raised up his left hand. A slight frown formed upon his face as he tugged off the glove to look at the red skin. The green cross looked almost harmless. His hand was a weapon meant to kill the family he lived with.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

†† **†††** ††

The cool air nipped at Allen as he got out of the carriage. His feet making their way onto the ground, the teenager then turned and held his hand out. Road, in turn, placed her pale hand in his glove as he helped her down. Not that she needed it.

"Look at all the carriages," Road brought to attention as the snowy-haired boy adjusted the collar of his suit. God, he hated this thing. "I heard that Viscount Aleistor's parties were something to behold but I didn't think _this_ many would show."

"Yeah," Allen agreed, disliking the event already. He wasn't really one for large gatherings with people he didn't know. Road glanced over at him and that's all it took for her face to soften. She knew that as well despite him never saying a word about it.

Sometimes, Allen suspected that she could read minds.

"Come on, let's head inside. Wisely must've gone in already." Without waiting for him to speak, Road began heading towards the grand doors with her arm linked around his. He was too busy eyeing the fellow nobles to even bother paying attention.

 _What the heck is that,_ Allen wondered, noticing that the dresses seemed to stick out a little on the rear area. Did that make it hard to sit down or...? He always wondered why the female wore them.

At least Road went with a simple white dress that honestly didn't look too bad with her human form. Her and the Noah family weren't like those nobles. Not too much like them, anyways.

When they entered the rather grand ballroom, many people stopped to stare at Allen as they walked past. And he knew very well why. After all, what sort of teenager had white hair and a very noticeable scar marring his features? These people were all about normalcy and blending in. It made him sick. And yet Allen still smiled pleasantly, making his way to the buffet table so he may gorge his irritation away. Both he and Road (ecstatic barely covered her reaction) began to eat their way through the desserts.

"Alright, we should probably look for _it_ now," Road had said, licking the rest of the frosting from her fingers. "We don't want Millennie to get too mad."

"Okay." Allen glanced around the building. "What does it look like?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you that bit?" After receiving a curious look from Allen, Road sighed. "Normally, it merges with an item. That's why it takes _years_ until one of them pops up. It's pretty annoying."

"It seems so."

They wandered around the party, idly chatting about the family (from "Bet Tyki got kidnapped at some rich poker game" to "Think Skinn killed the twins yet?") A few times, Allen would turn to see the Wisely leaning on the wall, dismissing women who wished to dance. He couldn't help but smile at the other white-headed male.

"This is taking too long," Road huffed after a couple hours of wandering around. People had gotten use to Allen's presence but that didn't stop them from glancing at him every now and then. "I'm going to ask Wisely if he's found it."

The teenager nodded and Road went wandering off. Allen looked around briefly, suddenly feeling a little lost before he went to go stand beside a wall. He wasn't really there long before someone took the empty space beside him on the right.

It was an Asian girl about his age with black hair pulled up in pigtails that had a tinge of green that shone in the light. Her chinese dress was lavender with a noticeable slit on the side. For freedom of movement, if Allen had to guess. Her amethyst irises strayed across the crowd before settling on him.

"First party," she asked with a smile. Kindness radiated from her like a flame. It threw Allen off for a moment. People hadn't tried to talk to him unless they were prompted to, and even then they only emitted disgust.

"Sort of," he had responded, smiling politely without looking at her. "I'm not too much of a fan for them."

"Neither am I. My brother sent me here with someone but they're too busy walking around to care. Sometimes I feel like I'm the responsible one."

"I can understand that." Allen chuckled. An image of Tyki and Sheryl childishly fighting at the table showed in his head.

The girl laughed along lightly as well, probably going over some memories of her own. Maybe she wasn't as bad as other people he had met. She then turned towards him and held her hand out. "My name is Lenalee Lee."

Allen finally turned his entire head towards her as he looked at her hand with some hesitance. He didn't miss the slight stiffness in her frame or the hardening in her eyes. And he knew exactly why.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Allen had said, abruptly turning his head away so his scar was hidden from her sight. A polite smile was on his face but it seemed to have dulled with the somberness in his silver-gray eyes. "It's ghastly, isn't it? I apologize for showing you such a sight, Miss Lee."

"N-no, it's fine," she had said. Confusion laced her tone. "I was just surprised is all."

He closed his eyes in response and gave a nod. _Liar._

There was a moments pause. "How did you get it?"

He sighed softly, opening his eyes. All questions eventually led to this. The _how._ And then the person questioning him would scurry off. "Something stupid I did as a child."

"Oh," she finally said. And then, from the corner of his eye, Allen could see her smiling again. Just as kind and meaningful as it had been when she first stood beside him. The teenager didn't notice how tense he was until then and forced himself to relax. "You know, you didn't tell me your name."

"I'm sorry," he responded, chuckling lightly. He still refused to turn towards her. "My name is Allen Walker."

"It's nice to meet you, Allen."

It seemed like Lenalee was going to say more before a male had caught both of their attention. It was another Asian, with his hair pulled up in a ponytail carrying a sword on his hip. His dark blue eyes landed on Lenalee and he motioned for her to go over.

"I believe that's it for our conversation," she concluded. Allen gave her a nod of comfirmation and she slipped away, her boots showing from the slit part of her dress as she walked. Why would someone even wear boots with a chinese dress at that length?

"Wisely said that he found it," Road had chirped, bounding in Allen's line of sight as she chased his train of thought away. She grabbed his right hand and pulled him from his little space of seclusion. "Let's go retrieve it so we can get out of here already."

Allen nodded gratefully and followed her. Oh, he couldn't _wait_ to get out of here. To get back in his normal attire. To actually relax. Maybe finish the homework he had been saddled with.

There were a couple of men each guarding doors leading from the ballroom. Road took care of that little problem by unveiling a door behind a large curtain. The two slipped in and made their way around in the dark. This time, Allen had to lead seeing as he could see better in the dark than the Noah beside him could. She held onto his upper left arm until they made their way towards a lit hall. They spent a good few minutes peering into doors and such until they finally made it to a room that had a lot of bodies crumpled on the floor. Allen jolted to a stop as he stared down at them with wide eyes.

"Road, are they..."

"No." Her tone was flat as her blue eyes were focused on something else. "They're unconscious, not dead."

"Who the hell are you," came another voice, grabbing Allen's attention. He looked over to see a small girl staring back at him. Her navy hair, like the Asian girl from before, was pulled up in pigtails but that seemed to be where the similarities ended. After all, this girl was British and while her left eye was a deep, familiar rich blue, the other one was purple with a star on it. A curse? As her eyes flicked across Allen's face, a faint look of confusion had come and gone in mere seconds.

"Ignore them, Allen." Road pulled on his hand. "We have to find the Innocence before the Exorcists do." She paused then turned towards the man clad in black that stood behind the girl like a shadow. "You and your Master might wanna get out of here. You _don't_ want to be in the crossfire between Innocence."

"Thank you for the warning, Milady," the man had said, scooping the girl up easily in her arms.

"S-Sebastion!"

And then they were gone, out through the open window that had to be about three stories above ground. Allen watched them go with a quirked eyebrow. He wouldn't have done that unless he wasn't human and his eye hadn't activated, meaning that he wasn't an Akuma so... What the hell?

"Allen, help me look."

"Right." Ripping his attention from the window, Allen helped Road search through the Black Market stock (which he figured that this scene had to be going by the arrange of jarred organs and such) hidden out of sight from the unconscious "buyers". After a moment, he found a container and held it up. "Road, what is this?"

Inside the container looked to be a glowing green cube with thin cogwheels that spun around rather slowly. It was ultimately the glow that had caught his attention.

"Hey, you found it!" Road positively beamed as she skipped over to him and held her hand out. Allen gave it up without resistence. "This is what Innocence looks like when it doesn't have another form. It's _true_ form."

"...Huh." was all Allen could say.

A loud thud snapped their attention away as the door they had entered through kick open.

"Kanda," a female voice scolded. "You didn't have to _kick_ it."

"Che," was the verbal response as the Asian male (Kanda?) Allen had seen earlier entered the room. Everyone froze as they assessed each other, Lenalee's mouth opening in surprise. At the same time, the Kanda's hand fell on the hilt of his katana.

"Allen," Lenalee had asked. And that was all it took for everything to explode.

"Mugen, unsheathe!"

Allen barely had time to invoke his weapon, raising the large, gray arm to block the katana. At the same time, Road hopped back from range and held her hands behind her head as her blue eyes stared at the two.

"An Akuma," Kanda hissed, his blue eyes glaring into silver as Allen's arm sparked. A vein throbbed on Allen's forehead as he forced the male backwards, taking Kanda by surprise enough to punch him with his right hand.

"I'm _not_ one of those things," Allen shot back. His gaze landed on the badge Kanda wore on his trench coat and his face flashed with recognition. He couldn't believe he didn't see that before in the ballroom. That silver rose cross was like a gigantic bullseye. He had seen that logo countless times and knew that it represented the Black Order. Which means that they're...

" _Exorcists_."

Allen had tilted his head, his white hair sheilding his face from view as that one word was spoken vehemently. Even the aura around him seemed to grow oppressive. And despite his words not being a question, Road hummed in agreement.

As though that were a cue, Allen ran at the Asian male and attacked. Kanda brought his katana up to block and it sunk into the metal of his arm. Even the Asian had to pause, his eyes widening just slightly as he took in all the rage displaying in Allen's eyes, accompanied with the baring of his teeth. That wasn't normally a look Akuma gave Exorcists. Akuma were machines, and thus more often than not robotic or cocky. But this person seemed like he had a vendetta.

Allen enclosed his hand around Kanda's blade, swinging both the Asian and the sword into the nearest wall. Lenalee could be heard crying out her comrade's name and the next thing Allen knew, he had to roll sideways to dodge an incoming kick from her. A crater formed under Lenalee's foot where she landed, making Allen sweat. So these are Exorcists, huh? Lenalee was... pretty scary.

Call it code of honor (more like code of Mana) or whatever but Allen was _not_ willing to fight a girl. She was at least _semi-_ decent to him before this happened. Black Order or not, she seemed to be genuinely kind.

Lenalee came flying at Allen again. He almost couldn't track her movements with how fast she was going.

Almost.

He raised his arm up in time to block her kicks and grabbed one of her legs. Lenalee's expression twisted into a grimace as she probably expected pain to follow up next. He _had_ thrown Kanda after all. Instead-

"Please don't make me fight a lady," he said, the anger in his silver gaze diminishing as his face softened. A baffled expression crossed the Asian's face. "I don't want to hurt you."

A flash of steel in Allen's peripheral vision made him let go of Lenalee before she could even respond. He turned towards it quickly, holding his left hand up just in time for the katana to pierce the center of his palm. And before he knew it, a dozen brightly colored, sharp-ended candles appeared, forcing both Allen and Kanda to separate and look over at Road. Who, of course, still held her arms behind her head as she looked over at them boredly, leaning on a heart-shaped, black and red checkered door that had appeared.

For the moment. Allen didn't miss the concern that barely showed itself in her cobalt eyes as they looked over his Innocence.

"That's enough play time, Allen. Any more and I don't think your Innocence can withstand it. Let's head back, okay?"

Kanda narrowed his eyes as Lenalee gasped quietly in surprise. Allen nodded and backed away, glaring at the Asian male as Road's door opened.

"What are you," Kanda demanded, his sword on it's hilt as he eyed more of the floating candles that had materialized. The ones that had attacked were embedded deeply into the tile. Road rested her hand on Allen's arm as she smirked.

"Sorry, that's a secret."

Then she turned and walked through her door, pulling a reluctant Allen behind her.

†† **†††** ††

"Here's the Innocence, Millenie," Road sang as she dropped the container in Adam's awaiting glove. He opened it and held it where it could be easily seen. The strange cube sat innocently in his palm. Allen still couldn't believe that _this_ is what could kill his family. It was pretty decieving.

"Thank you, Road," the Earl had said, curling his fingers around the Innocence into a tight fist. A small, almost indistinct crunching sound could be heard before Adam opened his hand again, revealing the dust it had turned into. Then he held his hand over by the wastebasket that was beside the desk and allowed the crumbled Innocence to fall inside. "The Dark Matter the Noah possess is the polar opposite to Innocence. As such, only Innocence can destroy Dark Matter and only Dark Matter can destroy Innocence."

He rested his hand on the desk, his small spectacles flashing briefly in the light.

"I do have another mission I want the two of you to embark on." Road cocked an eyebrow as Allen straightened. "It's a small village in Germany called Houndsworth. I had sent Sheryl there to speak to the mayor about installing one of our companies. It seems that they're dealing with a strange event and I'm positive Innocence is the cause. I want you two to go and destroy it."

 _Houndsworth,_ Allen had thought. That sounded familiar.

"Alright." Road smiled. "And maybe Sheryl can fix Allen's arm. He got into a fight with an Exorcist and it's been damaged."

"Is that so?" Adam tilted his head slightly as he regarded the teenager. "May I see?"

Allen obliged slowly, taking off his glove before pulling back his sleeve. His red, veinous arm trembled on it's own accord, white lines marring it where Kanda's Innocence had caused damage.

"The nerves seem to have been damaged," the Earl observed. "Yes, Sheryl might be able to fix it."

Allen's blood drained from his face at the thought of having Sheryl anywhere _near_ him with an attempt to "fix" anything. That Noah was one of the more sadistic ones.

"Don't worry, Allen," Road had said, giggling at his expression. "I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you too much."

That same dark gleam that her adoptive father had flashed in her eyes and it did not make Allen feel any more better.

†† **†††** ††

 _Road's clothing is actually a gothic Lolita outfit but due to the word "Lolita" not existing in the Victorian era, some arrangements had to be made._

 _*The Noah Company is an_ _multinational company that sells a variety of things from clothes to weapons to even food. The name was eventually chosen thanks to the Noahs sense of humor._

 _*The Noah are a group of thirteen (fourteen now) self-proclaimed Apostles handpicked by God to enter the Ark in the Three Days of Darkness. They are superhumans with two forms, their Noah form being one with ashy gray skin, gold eyes (some pupils are slitted) and stigma ranging from seven, nine, or eleven on their foreheads._ _They also are known for their bluish-black hair save for a few members like Jasdero and Wisely._

†† **†††** ††

 ** _~lunalovelloyd - I apologize for this not being an entirely new chapter. I just had lost the motivation for sending another one out after rereading the previous chapters. I'll let you in in a little secret: After the mission in Houndsworth (which some events would be changed), Allen will go on a mission with Tyki instead to France. _ And I'm glad that you think that this is better._**


	3. Chapter II (vers 2)

†† **Chapter II** ††

"Let's play a game."

Allen blinked himself out of his thoughts as Road's voice resonated through the air. He glanced over at her curiously. "Huh?"

"We need to play a game. This ride is a little boring and Millennie wouldn't let us take the Ark* so we need something to do to pass the time."

"Right... The Ark..." Allen frowned slightly. Ever since he had been living in the manor, the Earl had not once let him inside the Ark. The only thing he knew about it was that what they called a "Gate" looked like a glowing fragment of glass that one could simply walk in. "Hey, Road?"

She hummed to show that she was listening, glancing at him as she took note of the seriousness in his tone.

"Does Adam... consider me a part of the Family?"

Surprise flashed across Road's face briefly. To anyone else, they wouldn't have been able to discern it but Allen had tried making it an art to be able to read people. At least to a certain extent.

"It's just that I'm not a Noah," he added hastily. "And I know that I've only been here for a few months but he hadn't allowed me to do anything the rest of the Family could. He doesn't trust me, does he? Because of my Innocence?"

"Allen..." Road's face softened. "It's not because you have Innocence. The Earl is just concerned that you're not as durable as us. Yes, you heal a little faster than normal people but you're still human. He's just being careful." She smiled. "Besides, you'll be one of us soon enough. Millennie and I could feel the Noah gene trying to activate."

"And how soon is soon?"

"I don't know." She looked thoughtful. "A couple months to a year at most."

Allen hummed lightly in response. They were silent for a brief moment before they came across a tree with skulls and dog chains decorating it. He pulled the equestrian to a stop in order to stare at it.

He recalled this particular tree before but he couldn't recall from _where._ It certainly had less decor the last time he had seen it.

"Houndsworth," he murmured to himself as he urged the horse onwards, as though that would help him remember.

"Yep." Road was playing with a small ragdoll she pulled from somewhere. She had insisted on taking Lero but Allen was so glad that she hadn't. Lero was quite a stickler for rules. "The reason why we're here is because about one-third of the people had either gone missing or had been murdered in the past decade. Millennie thinks that Innocence is involved."

"It can do that?"

"Mhm and much more. Oh, and Houndsworth still practices bear-baiting. It's a sport the Queen has banned but who is actually going to listen to her? She's too weak of a ruler."

To be honest, Allen didn't really care about the Queen.

They soon came to a village. Road directed Allen to the place they were to stay at since she knew how bad he was at navigation. They ended up outside a large and creepy-looking manor.

"Barrymore Castle," she had said as the cart pulled to a stop. Both her and Allen were getting off right when the door opened and a male with long, bluish-black hair tied up in a ponytail wearing round glasses came leaping over the stairs entirely only to land on the ground and scooped Road up into a hug.

"My beautiful Road," the man exclaimed happily, oblivious to the amusement of his adoptive daughter.

"Hello, Sheryl," she responded. Sheryl then let her go and turned over to Allen, suddenly looking rather serious.

"I trust that you didn't do anything unbecoming of my daughter."

"Uh..." Allen had no clue what to say to _that._ The Noah were malicious and bloodthirsty. What could _he_ possibly do that was unbecoming? "No?"

Road laughed. "No, he didn't." She then paused, looking a little more serious. "Allen's weapon is damaged though. Could you take a look at it?"

"Hm..." Sheryl pushed the bridge of his glasses back as he gave Allen a scrupulous look over.

" _Please?_ " Road clasped her hands together as she batted her eyes at him.

"Oh alright, fine." Sheryl sighed, always falling for Road's charm even when he knew what she was doing. "But first, I must introduce the two of you to Mister Barrymore."

"Okay."

Road and Allen followed Sheryl inside. They made their way through the confusing halls until they managed to arrive at a door. A rather beautiful maid was waiting there with ice-blue hair and large, amethyst eyes. Allen blinked at her and then held his arm close to him as it twitched the way it sometimes use to when he had first been welcomed by the Noah.

"I wonder why someone of _your_ kind is here," Road commented. Her gaze was sharp with a malicious smile on her face. But Angela didn't seem as though she was paying attention. Instead, her eyes were on Allen.

"Lord Henry will meet you all," she said, tearing her gaze from Allen's face in order to open the door. "Lord Henry, Lord Kamelot's representatives have arrived."

"Well what are you waiting for," a male voice barked. Angela flinched. "Let them in already."

The door opened more and the trio entered with Angela close behind. She shut the door and waited patiently with her hands held in front of her.

" _These_ are your representatives," tthe same man demanded. "A miniture poodle and a tiny terrier?"

Allen turned his gaze from Angela to the speaker. And from there, he froze.

It was a large man with black hair, thick sideburns, and brown eyes donning a plain suit and tie. He had this stern and intimidating expression, which none of the group had paid no mind to. But what had _really_ gotten Allen was that he remembered that face from his circus days.

 _"-you not know who I am!? Apologize you little-"_

 _"-do you mean no? Do you want to be punish-"_

 _"-take him to the cages. A day or two should teach him-"_

Once more, Allen was pulled from his thoughts by Road as she discreetly nudged him. It was then that he realized that he was staring and gave her a grateful smile. She faintly smiled back before she grew serious, glaring coldly in Henry Barrymore's direction.

"I'll have you know that this _poodle_ can run a successful business, _Lord_ Barrymore." Road crossed her arms. "If you let us buy your land, profits will be raked in like no other. This small place will grow and people from every country will be wanting to visit."

"I got another person who wants to build a resort that promised me the same thing. And all for a small plot of land. Tell me, Lady Kamelot, how your offer differs?"

"Competition?" The girl smirked. "Very well, Lord Barrymore. I believe that the competition's promise will fail because they are adding one measly thing and leaving everything else the same. Adding one thing more often than not changes nothing. The Noah Company plans on changing everything for the inhabitants. The people who live in the same area of our company will also get things earlier and for half off, guaranteeing our success. We plan on going for the long run. And a resort, Lord Barrymore, _doesn't_ last long."

"Hm..." Henry actually looked as though he was mulling it over. "I see that I will have much to think about. I shall inform you in about four days time. Until then... Angela, show these guests to their respective rooms."

"Of course, Lord Henry," the maid had responded. She opened the door and looked at them. "Follow me."

The Noah and Allen followed. He was sure that Sheryl already had a room and was just joining the two for the sake of Road which... made it rather uncomfortable. Henry didn't seem to recognize Allen, which was a _huge_ relief. Then again, his appearance had changed so much that he doubted that anyone from his past life would actually know who he was.

"Earl Phantomhive," Angela's soft voice had said, making Allen snap his head up quickly. Did she just say...? "It's nice to see you up this early."

"Angela," replied a boy, his own tone bland. Allen's silver gaze flicked over to him.

It was a short preteen with bluish-black hair, a singular deep blue eye staring at the maid with such a guarded gaze, the other one hidden behind an eyepatch. And his bangs tended to curl to the right. That small little fact was what made Allen breath "Aster..."

The boy's eye snapped over to him immediately, followed by the maroon gaze of his companion, a butler seeming to wear an excessive amount of black. Actually, he looked _really_ familiar. Unfortunately, Road and Sheryl was looking at Allen with confusion. He didn't mean to say that outloud. Or to say it at all, either. It just happened.

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive," the boy responded coldly. "And who are you?"

"I apologize. I must have mistaken you for someone else. I'm sorry for disturbing you." He looked over at Angela. "May we continue? I'm rather tired."

"Certainly," she replied and continued to lead them through the halls. He could have sworn that was Aster. Maybe he had gotten it wrong? It had been a while... Either way, he was happy to see one of the twins. What happened to the other?

He... probably shouldn't wonder. If anything, Allen needs to keep his distance. His world isn't meant for normal people. Besides, the Phantomhive's are nobles. They probably had long forgotten the street rat known as Red.

They eventually bid Angela thanks when she showed them their rooms and then she was making her way down the halls. Road stared after her with a smirk. "Noah, a demon, and an angel all under the same roof at one time. This seems to be a historical moment."

Allen made a noise and snapped his head over to her. "Angels actually _exist_!?"

"Mhm. Though from what I've heard, they care for the purity of the world. Fallen angels are even _worse._ " There was a pause and then Road was quirking an eyebrow. "You didn't question if demon's existed."

"I trained with my Master," was the sullen reply. "I already _knew_ that demons existed."

"Is Cross Marian really that bad?"

Allen shivered. "You have no idea." He faced Sheryl. "Um..."

"That's right, your arm." The man adjusted his glasses before heading to his room. "Come along. I'll fix it."

Allen indeed followed Sheryl as he was led to the room. It wasn't until he got to the doorway that he realized that Road hadn't moved and looked back. "Road?"

She grinned deviously and skipped away. "Have fun~."

"W-wait!"

Just as Allen was going to flee in order to keep his life, Sheryl's firm grip caught him by the wrist of his uninjured arm.

And with a feeling of dread, Allen watched as the door closed as though sealing his fate.

A few screams and a failed attempt to escape later, Allen wandered out of Sheryl's room in a daze and with his arm in a sling.

"I'm never going to break my arm again," he moaned, leaning on the wall. That was almost the most painful experience he had to undergo.

"Lord Walker?"

Allen lifted his head up to see who had called him. To his surprise, it was the butler of Phantomhive who had arrived.

"My Master would like to speak with you."

"Ah..." Allen gave him a closed-eyed smile. "I'm sorry but I decline."

"I'm afraid that my Master is quite persistent. If I fail to deliver you, he might search for you himself."

A sigh escaped Allen's lips. Nothing ever went as he planned. Well, surely _another_ interaction with Ciel wouldn't hurt. He wanted to ask about Aster as well.

"Alright. Lead the way."

The butler bowed and began to weave his way through the halls with Allen close behind. The teenager tried his best to remember the way back, even if he knew how fruitless the task was. Who knows? Maybe he will actually manage to find his way back the first time.

They came to a stop outside the door. The butler knocked and not a moment later, a stern _"come in"_ rang out. The butler opened the door and stepped in.

The room looked a bit like Sheryl's, Allen had noted. Just a large bed with a couple of chairs and a small, round table by the window and a fireplace. Ciel sat down in one of those chairs leaning his head on his fist, which had been propped up by the arm of the chair. His visible eye looked bored and in his other hand was a small cup.

"Leave us," Ciel ordered when Allen had entered. The butler bowed and left, shutting the door behind him with a soft _click._ His sapphire eye scanned Allen for a long moment before he motioned to the chair across from him. "Sit."

He hesitated a moment before obeying. He took a seat in the chair and kept his gaze firmly on the table in front of him.

"It's nice to see you again, Red."

Before he even knew it, Allen's gaze flitted over to Ciel at the mention of his old name. A winning smirk then presented itself on the Phantomhive. Oh, he didn't actually know if he was Red until just then. Ciel was just taking a gamble and had gotten lucky.

Very well. Two can play at that.

"You're not in a dress this time," Allen had commented. His own lips twitched as Ciel's face became tinted in pink and he looked away. It seems like his own gamble had paid off.

Of course it did. Allen was the King of Gambling, after all.

"How did you...?"

"Know?" This time, Allen actually did smile. "You're butler. His last attire also had quite a lot of black on it and his hair was different. Your disguise was better a lot more better. Although, why did you choose a dress?"

"The Viscount was speculated in the kidnapping of young girls. So I disguised myself as one to reveal the culprit." Ciel's visible eye scanned Allen. "You changed quite a lot since the last time I had seen you, Red. I almost can't believe that you're the same person."

"Yes, the last time you saw me, I was a street rat," he agreed. "I go by Allen Walker now. And I'm not the only one who had changed." He motioned to the eyepatch. "You're eye..."

 _Is it cursed too,_ he didn't ask.

"A contract, just like the one that you didn't do a good job of hiding on your face." Ciel sipped from his saucer.

"A contract...?" Allen's eyes widened. "With a demon?"

Cross Marian is exactly what Allen pictured a demon to be so he never thought of his Master as a human. And if Cross Marian gave out contracts (most to brothels but still) then real demons naturally must give out contracts as well.

"Yes. That butler who brought you here is a demon." Ciel's single gaze grew sharper. "And that girl who came with you. She's the demon you're contracted to, isn't she? That's why you were able to become a noble."

All of Ciel's responses were guesses. Said with such certainty that he must be sure were true. Which was why he was sharing his own details.

"That scar of mine is a curse, not a contract." Once more, Allen's gaze fell onto the table. "Road isn't a demon. She isn't human either but... she isn't a demon." He paused. "And I became a noble because I have a gene that relates me to a certain family. I don't care much for nobility or traditions and they took me in quicker than I imagined..."

"What happened to you after we had gotten sold?"

 _"No! No! Let me go, you bastards!"_

 _He struggled against the hands of his captors as they forced him onto the silver table. The area smelled damp and strangely metallic as the frigid air seemed to sink into his bones._

 _Finally, they strapped him down._

 _"Activate your weapon."_

 _"I dunno what the fuck you're talking about!" he had snarled_

 _"Activate your weapon."_

 _"Fuck you!"_

 _"Carson, do it."_

 _A man with his face hidden behind a small sick mask nodded and pulled down the small lever connected to a control box. There was a faint whir and then a crackling noise before pain radiate through Red's body. Pain he had never felt before._

 _He could hear someone's screams filling the entire room._

"Red."

Allen found himself back in the room with Ciel. He blinked once, twice, and then met Ciel's eyes.

"What?"

"I asked what had happened to you after we had been sold. And then you had spaced out." The Phantomhive's eye narrowed. "You were just there, weren't you?"

"..." Allen had frowned and chose not to answer that last question. "I got sold the day after you two had gone. They... tried to turn me into a weapon."

"And what happened to them?"

 _Blood seemed to coat everything. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. Red's footprints were crimson as he walked. Scarlet dripped from his left hand and the entire left side of his face was slashed open like a gaping maw._

"They were killed."

 _A blonde man with blood leaking from his mouth gave Red a closed-eyed smile._

"...Every single one of them."

††††

"How did your little meeting with Phantomhive go," Road asked when she entered Allen's designated room.

He was laying on the bed with his legs hanging over the edge, his arms splayed out on either side of him. It had been a couple of hours since their chat and the medication had worn off on Allen's arm. He discarded the sling when he found it usable.

"Fine," was his response as he continued to stare up at the ceiling.

 _"Aster, what happened to him?"_

 _"...My brother is dead."_

Allen closed his eyes and sighed. He should have expected that.

"I see..." Road walked over to the bed and sat down beside Allen. "Was he a friend of yours from before the Black Order?"

"In a way." He reopened his eyes to find Road looking at him. "We were trapped together and they unofficially adopted me as their older brother."

"They?"

"Ciel had a twin brother. He was more shy and got sick a lot from what I was told. He was killed in a ritual."

Allen sat up, casting aside his somberness with a smile. "Is there something you needed?"

Road smiled back, catching the change of subject and easily complied. "The Exorcists from the party are here searching for the Innocence." Allen tensed. "And no, you're not fighting that samurai just yet."

"What? Why?"

"He damaged your arm last time, Allen." Road gave him a pointed look. "And besides, we need to wait for them to find the Innocence so we can just snatch it and return home. They'll do all the work and we get the prize. See? It's an easy job."

"...Yeah." Allen sighed. "Alright."

The Noah hopped off the bed with a grin. "Let's go find those Exorcists."

As it turns out, finding the Exorcists was quite easy. They didn't do much to hide themselves.

Road and Allen stuck to the rooftops as they watched the two Exorcists, Kanda and Lenalee, move through the dirt streets. Lenalee seemed to be asking the villagers questions and when the villagers seem to be telling them to bugger off, Kanda had his sword to their throat.

"Brute," Allen grumbled.

"He kind of reminds me of you," Road giggled as the villager in turn led the Exorcists into a building. Hearing her words, Allen shot her an appalled look. "Correct me if I'm wrong but you can be quite brutal yourself."

"...I have no idea what you're talking about."

" _Right._ "

Allen made a point to turn his gaze back onto the street. His eyes widened he noticed a woman in particular. The sclera in his eye became black and the iris was soon replaced by red rings.

"Allen!" Road had cried out as the teenager leapt off the roof. Landing lightly on his feet, he sprinted towards the woman and activated his arm.

The woman jolted as a metal arm pierced through her body. Her expression was twisted in surprise but the skeletal man held in chains above her whispered " _thank you_ " and dissolved. A second after, Allen hopped away and the woman exploded. As soon as she was out of sight, his eye returned to normal and he deactivated his Innocence.

"Tch, I should have known that it was you following us," a voice Allen didn't want to hear had said. At the same time, he felt something sharp press against the side of his neck. One twitch and his head would probably be rolling on the ground.

"Kanda, correct?" Allen held his hands up and had a closed-eyed smile on. A bead of sweat began to make it's way down the side of his face. "Look, I believe we got off on the wrong foot."

"So you _are_ an Accommodator." Lenalee walked up to him. "How did you know that that woman was an Akuma?"

"...It's just a little trick I've picked up." He paused. It might be better to keep them talking. "You called me an Accommodator. What is that?"

"That's right, you're not an Exorcist. An Accommodator is someone who has Innocence. Our job is to find Accommodators and bring them back to Headquarters."

"And let me guess. Accommodators are taken regardless on whether or not they want to be a weapon, yes?"

"Well..."

"Yes," had come Kanda's cold response. Lenalee shot him a reproachful glare, which Allen was sure had been ignored. "You're coming with us."

"I'm sorry but I'm not going back."

Lenalee tilted her head slightly. "Back?"

Allen felt the sword disappear from his neck as something whizzed through the air. Whipping around, Allen watched Kanda slice a candle in half before swinging his blade at the teenager. The teenager ducked under it, then performed a backwards handspring to avoid the second. He barely managed to raise his arm in time with the sword came flying at his right side.

Pain shot up in Allen's arm as Kanda moved his blade away with a _tsk._ It burned like a weapon shouldn't. A deep, agonizing burn that was almost petrifying. The teenager grit his teeth but held back any sound of pain.

Kanda had moved yet again, looking as though he was prepared to slice Allen in two. Lenalee must have realized the same thing because she called out to her companion.

"Kanda!"

"Allen!"

Blood went flying through the air as Allen's eyes widened. Road was standing with her back to him and her arms spread out. As Kanda's sword sliced diagonally across her chest, she jolted for a moment. And then, to the surprise of everyone, she began to laugh.

"R-Road, are you okay!?" Forgetting his own injury, Allen was staring at the girl in horror. And she turned towards him, a gash marring her face. And it was quickly knitting itself back together.

"I'm alright." Her gaze, which flashed gold, landed on Allen's bleeding arm. "Are you? That one isn't Innocence..."

The wound on his arm felt like it didn't even come from a sword. And it still _burned._ But he wasn't the one who had been slashed in his face.

"I'm fine." He got to his feet and refused to hold his arm in order to prevent Kanda from seeing any sort of weakness.

But Road on the other hand didn't seem to think that he was. With her expression displaying unadulterated rage, she turned towards the Exorcists and a torrent of candles appeared and impaled Kanda. Not that Allen minded. However, when Road turned towards Lenalee, he did feel a little bit of sympathy for the girl. Even more so when she called out the samurai's name and knelt beside him worriedly. She really was a good person.

"Hold on." Allen grabbed Road's wrist. She looked at him incredulously.

"But they hurt you."

" _Kanda_ hurt me," he corrected. "She didn't."

"They're _Exorcists._ "

"I know but... Please, Road."

She stared at him for a moment before the anger dissipated from her face.

"Fine." She glared at Lenalee. "The only reason why I'm not killing you is because Allen asked. But I swear that next time, we _will_ play."

Lenalee glared back as well. "Who are you guys? _What_ are you?"

"I'm from the Noah Family, you silly human. Innocence and Exorcists are our enemy."

"What about Allen? He has Innocence."

"You said so yourself, didn't you?" Road's face was twisted in a sneer. "He's not an Exorcist. So we can overlook his Innocence. Now be a good little doll and take care of your comrade. Allen, let's go."

He nodded and glanced at Lenalee a little longer before trailing after Road. Even now, he could hear Kanda getting up.

"Are you just going to let them go," he demanded.

Allen decided to ignore them.

††††

"Ow..."

Road rolled her eyes as she stuck yet another needle through Allen's skin, to which the teenager barely managed to ward off a wince to.

"That's the first sign of pain you released since we began," she commented. Then in a quieter tone. "It must hurt a lot."

"...It does feel like it's burning," Allen admitted. Almost immediately, Road's sapphire gaze were met with his own.

"Burning?"

"Like his weapon left something behind..."

"That would be the Innocence. It must be reacting to the Dark Matter that's trying to awaken inside you. If your feeling pain like that then your Awakening should be soon. Sooner than we thought. This month, possibly."

"That soon?"

"Mhm." She cut the string to the suture off and hopped off the bed. "I'll go inform Millennie. Until I get back, don't go anywhere. I don't want to search the manor for you."

A small smile adorned Allen's lips. "Alright."

And then she left him to his lonesome.

Road was only gone an hour. When she came back, the sun was already setting. Allen had managed to take a small nap because of it. His arm still throbbed but the burning had dissipated tremendously. He shouldn't have any function in it if he was being honest. Then again, he always did heal quicker than most.

Nowhere near as quick as the Noah though.

"How does Adam even know that there's Innocence here," Allen asked, having been pondering that question for a while. Road looked up from a book she was reading. _Red Riding Hood,_ if he recalled.

"There's been a rumor circulating about a Demon Hound. A large dog from hell who terrorizes the citizens. As I said before, about a third of this village had died out. Millennie thought that this Demon Hound was actually Innocence. It wasn't until the Exorcists began to move that he decided to send us."

"Why wait for the Exorcists?"

"Because they're usually the ones frantically searching for it. The Generals of the Black Order carry at least a dozen or so Innocence fragments and they're always difficult to pin down. When Exorcists move in, it's more like a confirmation that Innocence is there. And then we go on in. Most of the time, we catch the average, run-of-the-mill Exorcists. It's the Generals who are the prize."

"Like Master Cross?"

"Cross is an exception. I don't know why he still works at the Black Order or what he does but he did bring us you. So we leave him be."

She made a face.

"He's also the hardest to track."

Yeah, Allen was betting. Cross was as slippery as an eel dipped in oil. And he should know, seeing how many times his Master has fled from his debts.

 _"Awoooooo."_

Allen and Road simultaneously glanced at each other as a haunting howl filled the night. Without a word between them, the two left the room and hurried out to the main hall. It seems that they weren't the only ones with that thought in mind. Sheryl, Ciel, Ciel's butler, Angela, and four other people Allen had yet to even meet made their way outside.

"What's going on," he asked. All eyes turned towards him but thankfully, someone had responded.

The Demon Hound..." Angela held her hands close to her chest. "It brings great catastrophe to this village."

"Catastrophe?"

"Yes. Anyone who dares to defy my Master will be punished. It's the law here. There is no way to stop it."

 _That must be the Innocence._

"Angela." A group of villagers moved towards the manor entrance, all carrying torches and varies other weapons. "Please get Lord Barrymore at once. That demon hound has come again."

"Who was the punished one?"

"James. The dog trainer."

"Very well. I'll inform my Master."

With that, Angela hurried past the group and into the manor. Road and Sheryl watched her go in with narrowed eyes. Allen however turned towards the villagers. If there was a lead on Innocence, he had to take it. Especially now that the Exorcists know that they're here. "I'd like to see the body."

"Yes, as would I," had come Ciel's cool tone.

††††

 _*The Ark is essentially a city within it's own pocket of dimension. The Ark is currently chained in place and unable to be moved. Although unable to move the dimensional pocket itself, the Noah Family can still use the Ark to travel vast distances in minutes by creating Ark Gates._

††††

 _ **I apologize for the delay in updating. I've been working on a few projects bwhind the scenes and will admit that I've lost track of time. I will attempt to be more consistent.**_


	4. Chapter III (vers 2)

††Chapter III††

Allen and Ciel stood over the body of a brunette named James. The teenager held his fist to his chin as he observed the torn cloth, bruised skin, and bite wounds.

"Look at the bites," he commented, kneeling down beside the body. He held up an arm in order to show it off more accurately.

"What of it?" Ciel had a snobbish tone but nonetheless paid attention.

"If a dog were to bite and the person didn't react, the marks left behind would look exactly like this." Allen dropped the arm and frowned. "But James had struggled."

"Your point?"

"If someone were to struggle against a dog on their arm, the skin would have been torn. With that fact and the lack of blood, I'd say that this 'dog' or whatever had bitten him after he had died." Curious, Allen looked at the leash around James' neck. After a moment of hesitation, he tried to slip his finger in between the leash itself and the skin. The leash refused to budge a centimeter.

"Strangulation." Staring somberly at James' face, Allen sighed and murmured under his breath. "I hope your soul remains free."

"Stand back! Don't touch!"

Allen got to his feet as the growing crowd parted to make room for Henry Barrymore. He stopped when he saw the body.

"I see... It was James then. He was the bad dog."

"Yes," an old man off to the side had agreed. "He broke the legal restriction on dog ownership. He had six dogs; one more than he was allowed."

"A sixth dog? Then this was inevitable."

"James died because he had a sixth dog," Allen demanded. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"The village is under my rule and no other," Henry had shot back. "The Demon Hound protects that rule and is the Guardian of the Barrymore family and punishes anyone and everyone who dares to challenge me!"

The villagers than began to chant on how the white dog was a good dog and the black dog was bad. As they did so, they put James' body on a stretcher.

"Then I challenge you!"

Everyone fell silent in surprise and all eyes landed on the teenager. Even Henry momentarily became flabbergasted.

"What?"

"I, Allen Walker..." He spoke slowly and clearly, as though talking to a child. "Challenge you, Henry Barrymore. If the Demon Hound comes for me, I'll kill it and free these villagers from a control freak who thinks himself to be equal to God."

Henry became red in the face, spluttering nonesense before finding his tongue.

"We'll see, boy. We'll see if you can survive tomorrow night."

And with that, he stalked off. Allen's shoulders slumped as he watched the man go.

"You just kicked the hornet's nest," Road commented as people had begun to clear off. "With an angel by his side, anything is now possible for that human."

"You don't think that he really has a Demon Hound, does he?"

Sheryl frowned briefly. "Since I've been here, there have been odd occurrences. Most of it is howling at a distance. And there has been an odd presence that would occasionally appear inside the manor itself."

"But don't worry." Road waved that away. "Fighting one should be a breeze."

"Right..." He sighed. "I guess we still don't have a lead on the Innocence then."

"And after your outburst, Barrymore might accept the proposal from our competition as opposed to the Noah Company." Allen winced as Sheryl added insult to injury.

"Sorry."

"The Noah Company?"

A new voice had both Allen and the Noah looking over to see Ciel standing not too far away. He was actually close enough to possibly overhear their conversation.

Going by the calculated look in his eye, Allen thinks that he did.

"I didn't think that you would manage to get yourself into the very secretive Noah family," the preteen commented. "Most of the people in it don't even seem to actually be related to each other."

"It's complicated," Allen admitted. Road and Sheryl glanced at each other as he nodded over to the butler and quartet behind him. "Those are your servants I take? I don't believe that I've had the honor of getting their names."

"Our names?" The redheaded female with large round glasses blushed. "It's an honor to meet you, yes it is!"

"That's Mey-Rin," Ciel stated boredly. He motioned over to the blond teenager, the man smoking a cigarette, and a strangely small old man. "Finnian, Baldroy, Tanaka." He finally glanced at the butler. "And I don't think I've introduced Sebastian."

"Like your dog," was the inquiry.

Ciel smirked. "Yes, exactly like him."

"Well you two seem pretty chummy~." Road held onto Allen's arm as Sebastian glared daggers from behind Ciel's back. "Sheryl is heading back to the manor. You know, you should invite Phantomhive to our mansion one day to partake in a bit of poker."

"Ah, that's right." He glanced over at the preteen. "Would you like to have a game one day?"

"Of course."

"Try not to bet anything else besides chips." Road giggled and winked at Ciel. "Allen will clean you out."

"Road." The mentioned person huffed and looked away. "That's not fair."

"You're not fair, Mr. Life-is-a-Gamble."

"When you think about it, life is a gamble!"

"Shall I take it that you're a cheater at life?"

"More like a cheater of death," was the retort.

Ciel's lips upturned into an amused smirk as he watched their banter. No matter how much he has changed, Ciel could still detect a bit of the old Red in there.

The next day, Allen and Road decided to split up in their search for Innocence. Road insisted on taking after Kanda since Allen would have no qualms about him dying. He would feel bad if Lenalee did die though. On the enemy side or not, she was a kind person. Her interactions with the villagers the day before was what convinced him even more. And while Allen didn't care if Kanda died, he knew that he wouldn't be the one to deal the final blow. He didn't want to kill humans.

Not again.

"Besides the other day when Sebastian brought you to me, I don't think I've seen you without that girl."

Ciel was leaning on a chair with a book in his hands in front of the lake. His single blue eye was focused solely on Allen.

"That's scary, as you've only seen me with her a total of twice." He smiled and approached. "Have you been stalking me?"

"No, but Sebastian has been keeping tabs."

"...Creepy."

Ciel set his book off to the side. "I have been wondering about something though."

"What?"

"Your arm. Once your weren't even able to move it. How can you do so now?"

"..." Allen faced the lake where Ciel's servants were splashing around. "You recall how I said that the people who bought me tried to turn me into a weapon?"

"Yes."

"That's how."

"Is it related to this 'Innocence' you spoke of?"

Surprise flickered in Allen's expression. "What do you know of Innocence?"

"Sebastian only told me that it was a weapon. Is that why?"

"You're not giving me a lot of details." Suspicion lit up in Ciel's eye. "You don't trust me."

"I do," Allen said defensively. "It's just... you have your own problems to deal with. I shouldn't be dragging you into my world."

"Your world?"

"We got him!" Both Allen and Ciel snapped their heads over to the sound to find a crowd of people running past in a hurry. "The bad dog has been caught! We got James' dog! Hurry! The punishment is about to begin!"

Punishment?

A white dog with brown spots on his back and ears was laying on the ground. His star-shaped ruff was compressed from where he laid on the ground and his small hat was missing. Even through the fur, bruises could be seen littering his body.

"No..."

"Allen!"

Ciel's voice went unheard as Allen tore across the path after the villagers. Last time, Red couldn't prevent Cosimov from killing Allen. But right now, Allen could prevent the villagers from killing what he was assuming to be an innocent dog.

The irony of the situation was not lost on him.

When he reached the villagers, most on the front line were holding snapping dogs on their leashes. One other was chained in front of them, bristling at the rest. And there was Henry himself, his cold eyes staring at the poor chained canine.

The man with the toothbrush mustache coldly eyed at Red from the metal table he had been strapped on. His lungs forced him to gulp the air greedily, making painfully ragged gasps tear from his lips. He hated this man. This man who could torture a preteen with no remorse. Red's life seemed to be full of people like that. And that only made him want to piss them off more.

"Gas him again," the man ordered, having noticed the defiance in Red's eyes. He wanted to knock that disobedience right out of his system. To make him into the weapon he should be. Wordlessly, the scientists brought the canister back and strapped the mask to his face. Red struggled and bucked. It was the only thing he could do in this situation. However, that meant little as the leather restraints kept him still. Then one of the employees turned the knob and gas began to fill his lungs.

Allen dragged himself out of the memory with effort. It was like yanking his mind through molasses. His brain was too focused on it even though he had to be in the now instead of then. It was easier when Road startled him out of it.

Still, he came back at just the right moment. A man was heading towards the chained dog to beat it. Allen rushed forward and grabbed the bat, effectively startling the man. And when he went to hit him, Allen ducked under the punch and aimed his own at the man's abdomen. A gasp escaped his lips as he was pushed aside. When he collapsed to the ground, the villagers released a cry of anger and let their dogs go.

On of the canines lunged at Allen. He slammed the wooden bat in it's face as another bit into his Innocence. The dog had sunk his teeth in but Allen felt pressure instead of pain and slammed the mutt to the ground, spinning just in time to kick another dog right out of the air. He had to be more careful with his right arm. It still wasn't fully healed.

"I'll help!"

The blond head of Finnian briefly distracted Allen as he jumped in as well. He definitely got sidetracked when Finnian uprooted a wooden post from where it was dug into on the ground. With one swing that Allen had to backflip over, Finnian knocked the remaining dogs away. And the rest wisely kept their distance.

Allen risked a glance back at the dog as the rest of Ciel's servants, and Ciel himself, went hurrying over as if to check on the dog as well. It was tense and still waiting to be attacked but seemed to consider that Allen and Finnian on it's side. And going by how they hadn't attacked the group approaching it, the dog seemed to be alright with Ciel and his other servants.

Those servants definitely weren't normal if Finnian's strength was to go by.

Allen tensed as the angry mob raised their weapons. He doubted that any of them had actual fighting experiance but they outnumbered him. And Allen wasn't exactly sure that Ciel or his servants could fight. All-in-all, they were screwed.

But Allen would at least try to have a little faith.

The crowd kept going on about punishment. As the crowd moved in, Allen punched a guy in his face and managed to knock a few other people out before they pinned him down and chained him up. Ciel had also ended up chained and his servants tied to yet another post. Allen looked over the crowd, dimly noting Lenalee standing uncertainly in it, before settling his burning silver gaze on Henry Barrymore.

"Not so powerful now, are you," he leered. "Do you still wish to challenge me?"

Allen's glare intensified.

"Master, I beg you!" Angela stuck out of the crowd in her white and purple attire. Her hands were held together as she begged. "Show mercy this one time! These people don't deserve the punishement!"

Why would an angel want to help them?

"You have a point." Henry smirked. "This little pomeranian is the Queen's Watchdog after all. And that terrier comes from a impressive family himself. If either of them can be made to see reason, perhaps I'll decide to let them go." He focused on the two of them. "Leave this village immediately and advise her Majesty and Earl Campbell to never send their minions again."

But Ciel instead donned a sardonic smirk. "You're so pathetic. You rely on lowly tricks to retain your meager power. If there's a stubborn dog here, I'd say I'm looking at it."

"If that's your final choice. You can learn what happens to a dog that challenges me. Get him!"

Allen half-hoped that Lenalee would jump in and help them. Or at help Ciel and his servants since they had nothing to do with Akuma or Exorcists. Instead she stuck to the sidelines as the dogs went charging towards them, growling and snapping their jaws. The kindness Allen was certin he saw in her was gone in an instant and was replaced with anger. It was one thing to leave him but other innocent people? Maybe there weren't sincere Exorcists after all.

Allen never expected that he would be grateful to see a demon. As the hounds were only a leaps distance away, Sebastian seemingly appeared out of nowhere and knocked the dogs back.

"You cut that close," Ciel commented.

"It won't happen again. Trust me."

"Tch."

"Um, thanks for cutting in," Allen stated, giving the demon a closed-eyed smile. "Can I have a little help with these chains?"

Sebastian's eyebrows quirked with slight surprise before he smiled and walked over towards him. "What sort of butler would I be if I can't at least do this much," he stated, pulling the cuff open on his left wrist. He did stop helping to look over at Henry when the man spoke.

"You dare to interfere, dog?" He looked at the mutts in front of him. Allen used his left hand to pry open the remaining cuff. "Well what are you mangy mutts waiting for? Kill them all now!"

"Here." Allen began helping Ciel with his cuffs as the dogs growled. He ignored Sebastian's words on how he hated dogs. Allen liked dogs. When... they weren't attacking him.

"Thanks," Ciel said lowly so that only Allen heard, his lips barely moving as he did so. The teenager gave him an amused smile, feeling as though the Phantomhive probably never said a sincere 'thank you' for a while.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," was Allen's response. Ciel shot him a glare. Clearly he wasn't about to repeat himself.

"What the hell!?" Allen looked over to see that the dogs were being submissive. He glanced at the back of Sebastian, not doubting that he was the culprit. Maybe it was some demon thing. "What did you do?"

"Your pitiful farce ends here, Barrymore." Ciel ended up being the center of attention. "Everyone listen: there is no Demon Hound. It's all a lie. It's just him. An old man obsessed with power. Determined to keep it no matter what."

"What? What evidence do you have," Henry demanded.

As it turns out, Ciel and Sebastian did have evidence. A skull of a dog. It seems like Henry used it to place teeth marks on James' body. A projection was used to show the outline of the hound. And some sort of dust was placed on a dog to give it a ghostly glow. Sebastian even managed to relinquish a piece of high-value cloth from the maw of James' dog, As the villagers began encircling Henry, Allen untied Ciel's servants and freed the dog from the collar that bound it to it's chains. The poor creature was hesitant to approach him but did so nonetheless and allowed Allen to kneel down and pet him.

"That's one amazing pup," Finnian had said, walking over towards it and petting it gently, as though afraid one touch might kill it. That might actually be the case as him pulling a post from the ground with ease continuously played in Allen's mind. The blond turned to Ciel. "Young Master, can we keep it!?"

"I think Lord Walker has taken more of a liking to it," the preteen stated. His singular gaze landed on Allen. "Did you want it?"

"Him," Allen corrected. He smiled softly. "And yes, I think I would like a dog. What do you say, little guy?"

The dog licked his face, bringing a small chuckle from the teenager. His attention was soon derived from the dog when Lenalee walked up.

"Allen...?"

She seemed to hesitate when Allen straightened up and his irises landed on her.

"I know you hate it but I was wondering... could you please come back with Kanda and I to the Black Order?"

"I already answered this." Allen crossed his arms stubbornly. "No."

"It's not bad anymore. Once my brother became supervisor, they stopped doing all those experiments. That man...L-Leverrier, was sent elsewhere after one of his subjects destroyed the underground labs."

"Wait, he's alive?"

"Yes..." She frowned. "They hurt you real bad too, didn't they? So you could activate your weapon? That's why you don't want to return."

"I know what their thoughts on 'saving humanity' is. The Order and God can die for all I care. My sole mission is to destroy Akuma."

"You can't stop the Akuma unless you kill the Millennium Earl."

What the...? That's Adam's title. Why would she be bringing up the Millennium Earl? Does she really think...?

"What do you mean?"

Surprise flickered across Lenalee's face. "You didn't know that the person who makes Akuma goes by the Millennium Earl? They say his name just about every time we fight them."

"My fights with them don't go on for long."

"Please..."

"Why should I even join you when you had a chance to help them?" He motioned to Ciel and his servants, all of them not even pretending that they weren't eavesdropping. "I can understand leaving me to deal with this but they have no part in our war. Why would I help Exorcists 'save humanity' when they can't even save a few people from being torn to shreds?"

"We really need your help."

"Allen already said no," Ciel had stated coldly. His visible eye was narrowed at Lenalee. The girl blinked as though just realizing that they were still there. "So we would like for you to leave."

"...Who are you?"

"I'm Allen's brother."

That got the servants to gawk at their young Master. Even Allen blinked in surprise before wearing a small, genuine smile. They had gotten close when they were captured but Allen wasn't sure how close they still were after their... experiences. That little time apart had changed them both so much. It was nice to know that Ciel still considered him an older (unofficially adopted) brother.

Fate is both merciful and cruel.

Allen hid his amusement as Lenalee's eyes flicked from him to Ciel as though trying to form a connection of how they were even related before she bowed her head in defeat.

"I don't want us to be enemies," she quietly said. Then she turned away and walked off.

"Thank you for the help," Allen told Ciel with a grateful expression.

"It's no problem." The preteen waved that away and seemed to be focused on something else entirely. "What were you saying about a war?"

"Oh..." Allen donned a smile. "You don't need to worry about that. It's more or less under control."

"Under control?" A faint note of increduality could be detected in Ciel's tone. "She seemed pretty desperate for your help. If you ask me, that did not seem 'under control'."

"I would talk about it but in case you haven't noticed, this isn't the time or place." Allen subtly nodded his head to the still-eavesdropping servants.

"Tch, no I suppose not. Tonight then?"

"I might be busy," the teenager admitted. "If you have any questions, it will need to wait until after Houndsworth. I'll be more than happy to take you up on a card game at the manor though. Yours, preferably."

Ciel looked thoughtful for a bit. "Very well. My manor doors are always open to you should you need my hospitality."

"And I am sincerely thankful for that. I'll keep that in mind."

Ciel and Allen bid their goodbye's with the latter walking away. His mind soon fell to Leverrier.

The man took a step back. Tripping over his own feet, his rear landed on the ground and his back collided with the stone. The hole went straight through his chest, helping the blood paint the wall behind him. Red's visible gray eye was dull and crimson was splattered on his cheek just beneath it, watching the man take his last dying breaths...

Allen paused in his steps and closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the memory. Leverrier shouldn't be alive. How?

...That's probably the only person in the world Allen wouldn't hesitate to kill again.

Allen shut the door to his assigned bedroom.

"Took you long enough."

Glancing over by the window, Road could be seen leaning in the chair with her book in hand.

"Strange, I thought that this was my bedroom," he stated, falling onto his bed with a long sigh.

"It is. I just decided that spending time with you would be better than lingering around that angel."

"What about Sheryl?"

"He's packing. He managed to convince Barrymore earlier to sign a contract that states that this land will belong to the Noah Company should he die. I heard that the villagers found out that he was the culprit so now he's locked up in his own dungeon."

"Yeah... I was there. I saw the whole thing."

After a moment, Road looked up from her book. Allen's tone sounded a little flat to her. "Did something happen?"

There were a lot of things but Allen decided to only speak about what was most bothering him.

"I ran into Lenalee by accident. She tried getting me to join the Order to fight Akuma."

"What an idiot."

Privately, Allen agreed. But focusing on the matter at hand...

"She said that Adam... is the one who makes Akuma."

"What?"

"I know. Silly, right?" He released a weak chuckle. "She used Adam's title. The 'Millennium Earl'. But Master Cross and even the person who bought me both called him the 'Maker of Akuma' or 'Maker' for short." Allen frowned and rested his fingertips against his scar. "He's not, is he? If Adam is the one who used my adoptive father's soul..."

Road was quiet for so long that Allen was worried that she might have ignored him. But his fears were soon put to rest.

"No. Millennie is not the one who makes Akuma."

A relieved breath the teenager didn't know he was holding whooshed out of his lungs.

"Maybe following the Exorcists wasn't so good of an idea. Let's let them have the Innocence and head back."

"No!" The Noah blinked as Allen shot up so quick. "We came this far. We're staying until we have the Innocence."

A smirk rose on Road's lips.

"Okay."

Ciel had invited Allen over to his room to play a game of chess.

"Not as busy as I thought," the preteen commented. Allen gave a rueful smile.

"Road wanted me to spend a little less tine with some people so she went out in my stead."

"So we can talk then."

"I'm afraid that the walls are a bit too thin for my liking." Allen took a seat at the table. Indeed, a chess game was placed there. "Even if Road is not here, there are people inside this manor that tend to have quite the hearing. How about we just have an harmless game? I'll admit, I'm a bit terrible at chess."

"...Very well then."

He actually did better than Ciel expected. But it was the Phantomhive that had gotten to checkmate. Allen had urged the preteen to play again, of which Ciel was all to quick to do. The sky had darkened shortly after and rain began to thunder at the window. They were well into the match when a long, fearful scream breached the manor walls.

Allen sprang out of his seat long before Ciel did, the Phantomhive staring in surprise as Walker's white head disappeared out the door. The chess game rattled a little from his abrupt exit. It wasn't long until Ciel went running after him.

Getting lost was not something Allen was looking forward on doing. The scream seemed to come from the direction he was heading towards. Downstairs, if he had estimated correctly. Allen met with Road and Sheryl in the main hall.

"Akuma," he had asked. But the two Noah shook their head.

"It sounded like one of the servants went into the dungeon," Sheryl informed.

"My guess is that the angel killed Barrymore and someone found him," Road commented with a careless tone. She noticed Allen giving her an incredulous look. "What? Angels aren't guardians, you know. They're cold, malicious, and don't have a demon's taste for humor. God's warriors and all that."

"That explains a lot," he muttered. After a moment's pause, Ciel had caught up just in time as they all headed into the dungeon with Sebastian behind him.

It seemed that the Phantomhive's human servents had arrived first, all of them staring open-mouthed at a cell. Allen looked to see what they were staring at and frowned. A large hole was in the dungeon wall, showing the storm pouring outside and rainwater cascading down the hill. A large puddle of blood formed in the center of the cell, a trail leading itself to the hole.

"Allen, hold on," Road ordered. But the teenager was already forcing the cell door open and hurrying out the hole.

Allen didn't care much for Henry. In fact, he considered him a Grade A jerk and was sure that the man deserved whatever death he had. It wasn't going to stop him from heading after the tyrant though. He just had to know. Ignorance is a bliss. Foolish, but a bliss. Allen just never had that privilege and he wasn't going to start being ignorant now.

"After him," he heard Ciel command behind him.

There wasn't much to follow in the storm. The rain washed all traces of Henry away. If an angel got tired of their pawn, an infamous one at that, where might she take him?

With an idea in mind, Allen trucked through the storm without much thought. Most of the nobles, like Sheryl and the Queen's Dog, were unuse to the pelting raindrops that seemed to fall like icy bullets from the sky.

"Where are we going?" Ciel demanded when he made his way to Allen's side.

"Once Barrymore got caught, the angel threw him away like a cheap toy." His eyes narrowed while Ciel merely blinked in limited surprise at "angel". "If I'm right, then he would be..."

Allen drifted off, his sentence not needing to be finished when they arrived to the arena they were at earlier that day. The entire ground was caked with mud and large pawprints were embedded into the Earth as it slowly became filled with water. They weren't the only ones there. The arena was crowded with villagers, each one praying with a look of terror on their face. Allen pushed his way past them. He would occasionally murmur apologies until he reached the end of the line of people. Thwn, looking to see what everyone was praying at, Allen's eyes widened.

Leaning upright against the wall, with his eyes open and blood leaking out from his mouth and the torn flesh of where one his arms use to be, was Henry Barrymore.

Allen figured that this was where Henry's fate would lead; dead and shown somewhere public. Yet it still was a hard to swallow. He walked closer to the body until he knelt by Henry's missing arm, the skin and flesh of it having been shredded. Indeed, it had seemed to be bitten off by a very large and ferocious dog.

The Demon Hound.

For a moment, Allen stared. The image of Henry's expression in his death burned itself into his mind. It wasn't until an unearthy and familiar glow made him shift his gaze downwards. And there, in Henry's remaining hand, was a green light shining from his fist. He hesitated momentarily before reaching for it. Allen pried his fingers off of the object with ease. Sitting neatly in Henry's palm, seeming as though it were waiting expectantly in his hand, was the green cube that he and Road were looking for.

The Innocence.

 ** _~lunalovelloyd - Thanks! And wait until later on. I have it all plotted out and I'm excited! And a bit nervous because I wan't to write this correctly. After this chapter, I'm treading on unwritten ground, meaning that it might be up for revision after a while._**

 ** _~olivia_rodriguez_927_ _\- Thank you! :D_**


End file.
